Wall-socket



E. G. LIEBOLD.

WALL SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11. me.

Patented May 3, 1921.

d I 15 231A ,4 I i I 7 l l I I l I vwentoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALL-SOCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1921.

Application filed October 11, 1918. Serial No. 257,737.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST G. LIEBOLD, a citizen of the United States of America, residin at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and tate of 'Michi an, have invented certain new and useful mprovements in Wall- Sockets, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In hospitals, sanitariums and similar institutions, it is the present-practice to furnish the same with a call system whereby a patient may conveniently summon a nurse or an attendant to a bed or room, and the system includes a lamp or suitable indicating device over the door of the room or at some conspicuous place to be observed from a remote point, and an annunciator at the nurses rest room or headquarters, whereby a nurse or attendant may ascertain the location-of the call, answer the same, and re-set the actuated portion of the call system for another call. Such a system necessitates the continual changin of wires, cables or conduits on account 0 beds being shifted about in a room or transferred to a sun parlor or similar place, consequently wires are twisted, entangled and very often broken, necessitating repair and delay in the preparation of a bed or room for an occupant.

My invention aims to obviate the above defects by providing a novel electric wall socket which may be permanently attached to a wall or other support with proper connections to a signal lamp and an annunciator, and with a detachable connection adapted to extend to a bed, invalid chair or other structure so that the call system may be conveniently operated by a patient. By having a detachable connection with the wall socket it is possible to transfer the same to different and more convenient sockets and this is accomplished without any danger of wires bein entangled or broken.

The megianical construction by which I attain the above and other objects will be hereinafter specifically .described and then claimed, and reference will now be had to the drawing wherein- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a wall socket,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same, and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing a wall socket as connected to a signal lamp and annunciator.

' In the drawing, the reference numeral 1 denotes a metallic plate adapted to be connected to a wall or other support by screws 2 or other fastening means, said plate havmg a central-opening 3 with the inner end thereof surrounded by a flan ed collar 4, the flange of which is connecte to the plate 1 by screws 5 or other fastening means. The collar 4 projects inwardly from the wall plate 1 and has its annular inner wall flush with the wall of the opening 3. Mounted on the collar 4 and connected thereto by screws 6 or other fastening means is a cylindrical socket member 7, preferably made of an insulation material, as porcelain, a suitable composition or hard rubber.

The socket member 7 has a closed end 8 provided with openings 9 and recesses 25 and extending into said openings and recesses are angle clips 10, said clips being countersunk in the closed end 8 and held by screws 11 or other fastening means in the recesses 25. Connected to the clips 10 by the screws 11 are the bared ends of cables or conductors 12, which have been shown in Fig. 3 as leading to a suitable source of electrical energy 26, a signal lamp 14 over a door 15, and an annunciator 16, which may be at some remote point relative to the door 15.

The clips 10, within the openings 9, support resilient contact members 17 which may be in the form of yieldable fingers, split sockets or members similar to a plug and jack switch to receive contact members or plugs 18 carried by a plug 19 detachably mounted in the collar 4 and the opening 3 of the wall plate 1. The plug 19 is preferably made of insulation material and the outer end thereof provided with a knurled or roughened head 20 having a cap 21 and a reset button 22. Extending into the cap 21 and having connection with the contact members 18 is aconductor or cable '23 which has its opposite end provided with a push button device 24 of a conventional form.

With the plug 19 mounted in the socket the conductor 23 is adapted to extend to a place convenient to a patient, so that when a nurse or attendant is needed, it is only necessary for the patient to o erate the push button and thereby establish an electric circuit which will illuminate the signal lamp l4 and operate the annunciator 16. Upon the nurse or attendant answering the call the electrical apparatus may be restored to normal condition by the reset button 22 It is obvious that the Wall socket as shown and described may be included in a very large call system, and While in the drawing there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention it is to be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such variations and modifications as fall Within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a call system, a Wall plate having an opening, a socket carried by said wall plate and communicating with the opening thereof, contact members set in the outer Walls of said socket at the inner end thereof and extending into said socket and adapted for an electric circuit including a signal lamp and an' annunciator of the call system, and a detachable plug extending through said Wall plate into said socket and having contact members adapted to engage the contact members of said socket.

2. The combination of a Wall plate having an opening, a socket supported from said Wall plate and communicating with the opening thereof, clips mounted on the outer Walls of said socket at the closed end thereof and adapted for electrical connection, contact members carried by said clips and extending into said socket, a plug detachably mounted in the opening of said wall plate and extending into said socket, contact members carried by said plug and adapted to engage the contact members of said clips, and

a head carried by the outer end of said plug to limit the inward movement of said plug. In testimony whereof I allix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST G. LIEBOLI). Witnesses:

ALBERT W001), WM. Luomm. 

